Longview labor dispute escalates with violence, Washington port shutdownsAn already-bitter labor dispute in Longview escalated Thursday as work stopped at major Washington state ports and police reported a surge in threats and violence.

Longview Police Chief Jim Duscha said 500 longshoremen "stormed the gates" early Thursday at the port, breaking the windows of a guard shack, driving a private security car into a ditch and cutting the brake lines on rail cars. Protesters also spilled some of the grain in the cars.

Several private security guards locked themselves inside the guard shack, saying they feared for their safety if they tried to leave, though Duscha said initial reports they were held hostage were unfounded.